The Paradox
by GinnyPotter365
Summary: When Tom Marvolo Riddle perishes as a baby, Harry's life is drastically altered. Read to discover how his life and relationships change, become how they would have, and should have, been if Lord Voldemort had never existed. R&R please!
1. Life and Death by the same spell

Screams filled the orphanage. The wind picked them up and ran them through the windows. Children donned in their gray pajamas covered their ears as best they could with the ragged pillows. None were succeeding.

The cries were not the usual yells of children, but of a young woman. She gripped the edges of the bed and arched her back, releasing an earsplitting shriek. Pain racked her entire body, and the ugly girl was making sure the workers knew and shared in the misery. Her entire frame shook and convulsed as if she were dieing, which she probably was. The sheets were drenched in sweat.

"You need to push!" Shouted an orphanage woman. "The baby is coming, and it will be over faster if you PUSH!"

The skeletal creature responded by releasing a screech that caused young Mary Cole to cover her ears. This was all too much for her third day on the job. She knew she could not survive here.

"Push, woman!" Shouted the other woman again. "God damn it, PUSH!"

The girl coughed and expelled blood and vomit at the same time. The vile concoction covered a fair amount of her bulbous stomach. Mary averted her head. "This can't be normal!" She shouted in panic at her fellow worker beside her.

Eliza McRoy shook her head. "It's not." She whispered. Tears clouded her eyes and she whipped them away. "The girl is going to die, and, if she doesn't push soon, so will the chi-child." Eliza's voice cracked.

The sound that was next let loose upon the world next was an unearthly noise. The hair on Mary's head was raised, and her teeth shook. _That sound was not right. No person should be able to create such a……there is no word for what she just let loose_. Mary felt as if an animal from Satan had been released into her and had begun to bay at the lightless night outside the window. The woman continued to scream, and scream. The noises rattled bars against Mary's very soul.

By this time, the woman in labor was not the only one crying. Mary was sobbing, and Eliza was holding back tears. Claudia Fenelon was crying with frustration attempting to convince the woman to push. "PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!" She whipped her eyes. Peeking between her legs, Claudia heaved a rasping breath. "Normally," she shouted to the girls behind her, "her not pushing would be a concern, but not an enormous issue. The contractions are the body's way of naturally pushing the baby out, and pushing only speeds up the process." Claudia was interrupted with another animal-like howl from the woman.

"TOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" The bedridden woman shrieked. "TOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! HELP ME TOOOOOOOOOOM! SAAAAAAAAAAVE ME!

"WHERE IS TOM?" the woman wailed the orphanage women. "TELL ME WHERE HE-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The woman screamed in pain. Her grip on the bed was causing her fingers to turn white and red, spotted with blue. "TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"PUSH FIRST!" Claudia shouted. "PUSH! HOW CAN WE GET HER TO PUSH?" She yelled at the other women. "She needs to! The baby is stuck, and the contractions are now only killing her!"

Mary's body was now shaking almost as much as the woman who was in labor. Tears rolled down her face and soaked her apron. She could barely see through her puffed eyes, none the less deliver a baby. "Tom's coming!" Mary shouted suddenly. "He's coming!"

The woman gazed through her deep haze of pain at them. "He's comin'?" she slurred.

"He's on his way!"

"He'll want to see his baby." She mumbled. Then screaming yet again, she began to push.

In only minutes, the baby was released from his mother's legs. Relief filled the room as they cut the cord of the extremely odd looking baby. His features were not displeasing in anyway, but somehow they were sharp and hyperfocoused. The gunk that covered him was tinged oddly with an unusual green and black; his mouth small and drawn, dark purple in color, with full lips. The eyes that peered through the muck all over him were a very odd mix of colors. The silent baby was a terrible, wonderful sight to behold.

"He's not crying!" Eliza noticed swiftly.

"Lordy, you're right!" Claudia shouted. She and Eliza quickly turned their attention to the baby, leaving Mary to attend the sick woman. Shaking as if she were on the gallows, Mary Cole approached her. _She's going to die soon_. Mary realized. "What do you want his name to be?" She asked quickly.

"Tom, for his father." She muttered weakly. "Then Marvolo, for my father."

"And a surname?" Mary asked.

"Ri..Ri..Riddle." She stuttered.

_Tom Marvolo Riddle. _

"What is your name?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Merope. Oh, I hope he looks like his father. Tom…." She mumbled. She never spoke another word.

As Mary recoiled from the deceased woman to the still silent infant, Kristopher "Krazy" Noone cackled silently. _This is it! _He thought. _The moment that I have slaved away for, for years! Every moment of toil and all of the ridicule. Being known as "Krazy Noone" in the ministry and being laughed at as an urban legend-'Man thinks he will be able to turn back time and stop You-know-who's wicked rein of terror and murder.' Haha. How hilarious that is. But I am going to show them all. What a shame that none of them are going to see my moment of success! I will not remember it even, which is a pity. __**NO**__. Stay way from that thought Noone. So you won't remember this moment of victory, but you will not remember all the years of slavery to the cause either. You will have Mum, Dad, Kate, Jen, Henry and Melanie back. A regular family reunion. The god damn bastard Avery will never become a Death Eater, and so he will never kill your family for you being a Muggle Born. This is their revenge! And they say that no spell can bring back the dead. _Noone pulled at the crazy locks of stark-white hair that had developed over the years. His electric green eyes darted around, unable to stay fixated. He absent-mindedly twirled his greatest creation on his middle finger. It was a Time-turner that he has spent years in his basement modifying. One turn sent you back a year, not an hour.

Baby Voldemort's odd noises filled the lightless air. They were not cries, but something different, something haunting. _Cry now you bastard. You son of Satan. Enjoy the few breaths of air that you are going to be allowed. I will be ending them soon. _Noone pulled out an unusual wand. The handle was made of white birch, but the rest was crafted of a black Beachwood. Noone waited. He watched as the women carried their bundle of sin into a room right down the hall. When they were gone, he hoisted himself through the window and into the room. The floor creaked as walked across it and past Merope Riddle's death bead. "I'm going to kill your son now." He told her body.

When he entered the baby's room, he froze. The moment was finally here. Exhilaration flooded him. He excitedly took the several steps to the cradle where Tom Riddle lay sleeping. Noone savored how vulnerable Satan looked from this position.

"We finally meet." Noone whispered. "You cannot yet read minds yet, so I will speak aloud for your benefit. I want you to know what it happening. After all, you always enjoyed being in control.

"I am going to kill you now," he said bluntly, running his wand over Lord Voldemort's cheek. "You killed my family, and thousands of others. You ripped apart our world in an attempt to fabricate you own twisted universe. You deserve to, **need to** die! I must fix what it needed to be fixed!" he was yelling now, and that was dangerous, he knew it. He had not been in Ravenclaw for nothing. "You shall perish in the way you killed so many others! DIE LORD VOLDEMORT! GO TO HELL TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE! **AVADA KEDVRA!**" A flash of light illuminated the room and Kris Noone disappeared. Several minutes later Mary Cole would discover a dead baby in the cradle, the first act in the greatest paradox ever created.

**Thus begins the story ****The Paradox****. This is going to be what Harry's life would be like if Voldemort had never existed, but I had to explain why he didn't exist first. All of the stories about Harry's life, (that I've read), without Voldemort never explain **_**why**_** he doesn't, and that bugged me, hence this chapter as an opening. I hope that you liked it! I am aware that this was a very dark chapter, but the others will not be. Please review!**

**~GinnyPotter365~**


	2. July 31st

**Chapter 2**

"Come on everyone! It's time to leave!" Lilly called up called from the kitchen.

"We're comin, Mum!" called a teen girl from the room down the hall.

Harry bounded out of his bed and rocketed out of the maroon and gold room. He thundered down the cream carpeted stairs and jumped down the last three steps. Lilly walked out of the kitchen as he did so, smiling, with a picnic basket in the crook of her arm.

"Happy Birthday, Honey," she said. She walked over and ruffled his already untidy hair, and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, Mum," He replied happily. His birthday was one of his favorite days of the year.

"Calm down, Lil," James said, walking up from the basement where he had been watching TV. "The boy's 15 years old. No need to coddle him anymore."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "And Rose is 13. No need to coddle _her_ either."

"She's right, Dad." Rose agreed, descending the stairs, guitar in hand. She looked older than she was. Sometimes, people asked if she and Harry were twins, which overjoyed her, and tick off him. With her large, round brown eyes and black hair that reached the bottom of her shoulders and had bangs that swept to the right side, she was a very pretty girl. Though it was mid- near end summer, she was still pale. She was one of those people whose skin simply refused to tan. She had long fingers that were quite skilled at playing the guitar, drawing and, like her mother, brewing potions.

"I'm going to be in my 3rd year when break ends." Rose continued. "You don't flip out when Harry gets a letter from a girl, but you try to interpret every letter for me that you think might be from a guy! And I was only _talking _to Rory at the Quidditch Game last weekend. There was no need to come and haul me away like he was a fugitive convict from Azkaban!"

Harry said nothing. Personally, he agreed with his dad. That Rory guy had been_ way_ to close to his little sister. He also happened to know that Rosie was **very **good friend at Hogwarts named Tegan Woodburne. The only reason that he didn't tell his dad was simple – Rosie would murder him. It would be coldhearted slaughter. Long, painful and bloody. Worthy of a Saw movie. She had convinced their dad that she didn't even have any guy friends, none the less a prospective boy friend.

"Come on everyone!" Lilly coerced. "We have to go! We don't want to keep the Weasleys waiting."

Rose shook her straight black main in distain at her father and walked over to her mother, linking arms. Lilly swung Rose around and they Disapparated.

James shook his head. "Come on, Harry. Let's go."

"Hey, Dad? When are you going to start teaching me to Apparate?" Harry randomly inquired. Birthdays always made him think of the future.

"Before you go back to school, I promise. Just remember not to mention it to your mother. Now, we really have to be off before your Mum comes back to get us."

Harry linked arms with his father and they spun into the black vortex. After several moments of the usual pressure, they reappeared in a green valley. The dandelion coated hills sloped downwards gradually to a large lake, which was surrounded by people. There were several picnic blankets laid upon the ground, and Harry's friends were flying on their brooms in the air. Framed in the sun, he could see his best mate Ron Weasley, racing his elder brothers Fred and George around an obstacle course that involved bushes, several trees and a lap or two around the lake. Ron's younger sister Ginny was already laughing with Rose and Percy had entangled his Mum into a lifeless conversation about illegal trafficking of Devils Snare for potions. The 'Head Boy' badge was pinned pompously to the polo t-shirt he wore. The sun shone onto the lake on whose edge Mrs. Weasley was overseeing the arrangement of the picnic materials as her husband assisted her. Next to them was a sizeable pile of presents he knew were labeled 'To Harry'. He smiled.

Dashing over to the lakeside, he snatched up his Lightning 120 from where his mother had left if and shot off into the sky. The wind whipped the birthday boy's face and he smiled, feeling alive. It was a gorgeous 82 degrees out today.

"Hey, Mate!" Ron called, banking his Shooting Star next to Harry's.

"It was me!" George called to his twin.

"No way! _I_ got passed the tree first!" Fred countered.

"**No. **I passed the bush first, and that was the finish line!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Guys!" he shouted, "The Potters are here!"

"Hey, Harry!" Fred called.

"Hi-ya, Mate!" George added.

Ron turned to his friend. "Happy Birthday, Man."

"Thanks." He smiled. "You really missed a wicked game last weekend."

"I _know_." Ron bemoaned. "120 – 130 until the Snitch was caught? And Britain winning? I heard is was awesome."

"It was. I knew that Letter wouldn't let us down."

"I still don't think that he's a very good Seeker."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, lifting a hand from his broom to shield his eyes from the sun's blinding rays. "How can you say that after he just won the game over Scotland?"

"That's only _one_ Snitch. That doesn't mean anything."

"You're delusional."

Ron shook his head. "We'll see when the season ends – won't we?"

"Yes we will." Harry agreed, as the two boys started to drift lazily over the lake, racing and chatting aimlessly about Quidditch.

Ginny squinted up at her three airborne brothers. She bounced up and down in a sitting stance under the willow where she and Rosie had perched themselves. "Wanna fly?" she asked.

Rose wrinkled up her nose.

"Come on, _Rosie_." Ginny goaded. She knew Rose was beginning to truly detest being called _Rosie_. '_It's just such a little kid's name!_' She would protest when her father would call her by that name.

Sure enough, Rose griped. "Don't call me that! I was dubbed as 'Rosie' when I was little. I'm 13 now, which is a factoid that people continually losing in the gray matter they call a brain, even though it's been that way since February! It's ludicrous." She shook her head in disgust and strummed her acoustic guitar a couple times.

When she looked up again, Ginny was looking at her. "Wanna fly?" she repeated.

Rose sighed. "Fine." She puffed, blowing her bangs away from her eye. The got up, straddled their brooms and shot into the blue oblivion.

"So," Ginny began inquisitively, "have you heard from a one Mr. Tegan Woodburne lately?"

Rose beamed. "Yes." She divulged. "He wrote the other day, and I wrote him back. Poor Dreja will expire of fatigue soon! I keep working her on never ending with on runs without a break to speak of."

"Why don't you use Thilly?"

Rose stared at her as if she had lost it. "Are you serious?" she queried. "It's hard enough to write Tegan with my _own _owl, let alone Bathilda. She's the family owl! Dad would notice Thilly was gone in about two seconds, and then I would have to tell him where I sent her! I have enough difficulty in hiding Tegan's letters from him as it is. And, _no_ I can't use Hedwig. Harry's owl has her own agenda."

"How can you always make me be wrong? I mean, even if I'm right, (which I was not in this case), you twist it so I am wrong! How do you do that?" Ginny asked.

"I was almost in Ravenclaw."

"True, true."

Fred swooshed over to the two girls. "Time to land." He said. "We food and the birthday boy gets presents."

The girls nodded and the trio dove to the ground. Their toes touched the springy green grass by the blankets. The one the Potters had brought was covered in a geometric pattern of blue, yellow and green. The ones that had been brought to the outing by the Weasleys were patched homemade quilts in varying shades of shabbiness and multiple colors. Next to the Potters' blanket was a pile of packages that were all addressed to the man of the hour.

"Rosie! Come here!" James called, patting the blanket behind him.

Ginny noted Rose rolling her eyes. "Never will get it." she mumbled before sulking away to her family.

Half an hour later, Harry watched with anticipation his Mum levitate a massive broom shaped birthday cake over to the blanket in front of him. His family and the Weasleys all sang Happy Birthday and finished up with a rowdy round of clapping.

"One year older than you were before! Sing Happy Birthday, sing Happy Birthday aaaaaaaaaaaand we hope you have a-hundred more.1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! 11! 12! 13! 14! 15! WHOOOOOOOO!"

Fred and George Weasley pulled the strings on a package of Zonkos Confetti Crackers and let loose a series of loud bangs and a shower of flashing confetti. Ron slammed Harry on the back. The rest of the party completed the cacophony of noise by clapping for him once again.

"Make a wish, Harry!" His Mum said.

Harry looked at the fifteen candles that lined the large confection in front of him. _I wish…… _He glanced around him, pondering quickly. _I wish…_His eyes landed upon Ginny, and inspiration struck. _I wish that we would win the Quidditch Championships again._ Heaving an enormous breath, he attempted to blow out all of the candles on the cake. He nearly made it, but missed the last three. Ron, Fred, George, Rose, Ginny, James and Lilly all laughed at him.

The married women of the party began to delve chocolate broom onto paper plates. Harry and his Mates inhaled their slabs of sugar in a matter of seconds. Then Harry turned to the Present Pile.

In the next several minutes, he uncovered from the stack a broomstick polisher from his dad, a pack of Chocolate Frog Cards from Ron, a homemade statue of a Lion from Rosie, and, from the rest of the Weasleys, Quidditch Through the Ages. He opened the card from his parents and read:

_Harry,_

_I cannot believe that you are fifteen now! My, my. You are a young man now, I suppose I must admit. I cannot believe how fast time flies! It seems like just yesterday that your father could amuse you with smoke from his wand. I still remember your first Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, (you got a stomach ache from all the candy your father let you have!), and Easter, (I still think you looked so adorable in the yellow bunny suit I put you in). Now you have had nearly fifteen of each of those, and you would Hex me if I tried to put you in a yellow bunny suit with pink ears! Though I may not be able to place you in fuzzy critter costumes anymore, remember, you will always be my little boy._

_I love you, so, so much. You make me so proud – you are such a wonderful son._

_Mum_

_Son,_

_Congrats on reaching 15 my boy! You are such great son, I love you. You make me proud. Now remember: If you lose the Quidditch Championship – I stop loving you. Have a great year as a 15 year old. Happy Birthday boyo!_

_Dad_

Harry beamed at the smiling faces around him. The hills surrounding them were beautiful, and the sun shone brightly upon them all heaped upon the different blankets. Ron was smiling in his goofy way, Fred and George were floating a Grasshopper over to Percy's shoulder and Rosie was conversing with Ginny. Both his parents were smiling at him, as were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He smiled back. "Thanks everyone. Thanks a lot. These are great presents."

Lilly hugged her son, and gave him a kiss on the head. "I love you, Honey. Happy Birthday."

Even though he may be too old at fifteen to do so, he hugged his mum and kissed her on the cheek. His family was the most important thing in the world. "Thanks, Mum," he said, meaning it. "I love you too.

**Hi people! I hope you enjoyed reading the second, immeasurably more joyful chapter of ****The Paradox****! (I told you that the rest would be less angsty than the first.) What did you think of Rosie? I always imagined Harry with a younger sister named Rose even though Ron and Hermione had a daughter named that in the books. I really hoped you like her. Sorry that it took a while to get this out – I am not great at getting chapters out (my ****Together**** readers can attest to that :P), and my internet was down. Just for the record, this chapter has been sitting on my hard drive since the 3****rd**** of March. Please Review! It's what keeps me goin'!**

**Love you all, my dear, dear, readers.**

**~GinnyPotter365~**


	3. Diagon Alley

**I actually own quite a bit in this chapter. I own Rose Lilly Potter, Harry's height, Maudlin Sweet Shoppe, Ivy King, Leana West, Ella Heart and Tegan Woodburne. Other than that, however, I own NOTHING! I'm so poor…. =) **

Rosie ran down Diagon Alley and stealthily poked her best friend Leana in the sides. Leana squealed and flung her arms protectively around her sides. Her eyes darted wildly around until her eyes landed on Rose.

"Rosa!" she shouted. "I hate you! You're a suckish friend."

"Well, what kind of friend would I be if I weren't sucky? I would be a boring one, Leana. That's what kind."

Leana poked Rosie back. Rose let loose a comical giggle. The friends smiled.

"If only I weren't ticklish!" Rose bemoaned. "Then poking you would be so much more effective."

"Hi, Rosie!" Harry said as he came up behind her, placing his shoulder on her head.

"Don't do that!" Rose yelled at her older brother. "Just because you are 5' 9" and I'm only 5' 3" doesn't mean you can treat me like I'm the height of a Goblin!"

"Rosie, be quite." Lilly demanded as she approached the group of teens. "We're still by Gringotts."

Rose glanced at the nearest Goblin. He was not overly close to them, but Goblins had pretty good hearing. She felt abashed and glanced at her sharpied Converse.

"So, what's the plan?" James asked as he looped his arm around Lily's waist.

Lily consulted the list she held in her hand. "Well, Harry needs new robes _again_ this year. You grow too quickly!" she admonished her son.

Harry shrugged. "What can I do about it?" he asked.

"Stop growing," Lily suggested. She then reverted her attention back to the list as another Witch bumped into her.

"Let's get out of the middle of the Alley," James advised. The group did as he said and moved out of the way.

Diagon Alley was bustling today. It seemed as if every parent of a Hogwarts bound child had decided to go on this sunny day. The light from the orb suspended in the sky reflected off each glass window, which was then magnified into the shoppers' eyes. Witches and Wizards hustled in every direction. Some had bags of robes and books; others were clutching hands of their offspring as they took them to get their wand. The tantalizing sent of sweets filtered out of Maudlin's behind the group. Several owls hooted as the swung over the Alley and a rat scuttled through their feet.

Eventually, the group separated into three smaller pairs of two. James and Lily went to get the books for their kids and Rose departed with Leana. They were let loose with explicit instruction to spend their money sensibly, (these were ignored). Harry met up with Ron to wander aimlessly up and down the alley, to meet up with other classmates and to fork out his cash at a whim.

Harry and Ron were strolling down the road eating massive ice creams when the pair spotted Hermione Granger exiting the Apothecary. She was sifting through the bag of her latest purchases and her Muggle parents were walking right behind her. They appeared to be mesmerized by all of the magic surrounding them, though they had visited Diagon Alley four times previously.

"Hey, look who it is," Ron commented, gesturing with his cone as it dripped banana cream ice cream topped with hazelnuts and strawberries on the alley floor.

Harry looked up. "Our favorite person," he quipped.

Ron rolled his eyes in response.

"Hey, you never know. This may be the year that we finally start to get along!"

"Ya, right!" Ron exclaimed. "Like we'd ever get along with that bitch."

Just then, Hermione Granger approached them. She shot the pair of them her patented Ice Bitch glare. 'I am so superior to you idiots' she silently conveyed to them Obviously, the enmity that she had felt for the past four years towards the pair of them had not shifted, just as theirs had not.

As she passed them, Harry noticed something sticking out of her purse that made him groan. It was a Prefect's badge that was identical to the one in his room at home.

"What, Mate?" Ron asked.

"She's a Prefect."

Ron pulled a long face on the behalf of his best mate. "Ouch! That sucks man. Let's just hope that you two don't become Head Boy and Girl in two years!"

"Shut up," Harry demanded, punching Ron in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed in pain. Rubbing his arm, he looked up to see Parviti Patil and her twin Padma standing outside Maudlin's. "Hey, look who it is."

Harry obliged. Finally, his eyes landed on the pair of girls across the small road. "Ahhhh," he nodded, understanding. "Parviti. Let's go and attempt to get you your woman!"

Ron gave Harry a goofy smile and the sauntered over to the twins. How appropriate it is they are in a sweet shop!

XXXXX

Rose brushed passed her brother, Ron and the Patil twins as she, Leana, Ivy, and Ella entered Maudlin Sweet Shoppe and the other group exited. As she did so, she smiled. Maudlin's was her favorite shop on the Alley.

"Happy now, Rosa?" Ivy queried as the bell tingled behind them.

"Yes." Rose replied joyously.

"Sweets junkie." Ella accused.

"I plead guilty." Rosie admitted as she scanned the shop.

Behind them was a clear glass window that had a bell hanging in midair by the door so it chimed every time a new customer entered the store. There were two display boxes on either side of the entrance. In one window front there was a vat of taffy that was stretching itself of its own accord; in the other was an unmanned assembly line of Squirting Rock Candy being created form scratch. There was a massive counter that spanned one side of the Shoppe, which was staffed by cheery Witches and Wizards who were dressed as old-fashioned Muggle Soda-Jerks. They were framed against an immense wall of every sweet imaginable. People ordered what they wanted and then moved down the extensive counter where his or her order floated too them gussied up in an excessively decorated sack. The entire atmosphere was infused with the smell of candy and cheerful light. Even when it was raining outside, Maudlin Sweet Shoppe was warm and welcoming. Rosa may have red streaks in her hair when she wasn't around her parents, wear a lot of eye makeup, have double pierced ears and a diamond nose ring, but she was a very happy person. Scene on the outside, prep on the inside.

"He _is_ here, by the way." Leana added.

"What?" Rosie added, feigning innocence.

"**Tegan Woodburn**." She announced loudly.

"Shut up!"

The trio laughed at the expense of their friend.

"It's okay." Ivy assured her. "We'll keep mum."

After administering a poke to the sides of her three ticklish friends, causing all of them to squeal, she approached the counter. There he was. His long hair was golden brown and, as always, he was flipping it out of his clear blue eyes. They were icy blue; mesmerizingly beautiful. He had a smattering of freckles over his button nose that crinkled when he smiled. If he had the ability to acquire dimples when he smiled, the image of Baby Cupid would be complete – flawless.

"Hey, Tegan." She said, smiling as she leaned against the counter.

Tegan looked up from scooping the squeaking Ice Mice into a sack. When he saw Rose, he smiled. "Potter! Hey. How are you?"

"I'm doing really well," Rosie answered. "How are you?"

"I'm doin' great!" Tossing the bag mice into the air, causing it to float towards the blond boy across down the counter, Tegan glanced around and leaned forward conspiratorially.

_Is this it?_ Rose wondered. _Is he going to ask me – _

"But I'll be even better when Mum and Pop let me out of the family shop!" He hissed jokingly, throwing a hand in the air towards the shop.

Rose laughed. "Right!"

"Hello?' Interrupted a drawling voice behind them. "Are you going to _order_ or _move_?"

Rose looked away from Tegan to another, more unwelcome, blond. Rose knew him by sight, but did not know anything about him spare his name. She knew his handle was Draco Malfoy and that he was not the most pleasant of characters. Rosa also knew that her older brother and many of the other Gryffindor's of his grade held him in ill favor. This was not someone that Rose wanted to taint this beautiful day with.

Sighing inwardly, Rosa turned to the counter. "I'll take – "

"Ever Popping Popcorn – Caramel flavored." Tegan finished. Rose smiled.

"Catch ya later, Potter?" Tegan asked as he drifted her order towards the pickup end of the counter.

"Defiantly." Rose affirmed before dashing out of the shop with her crew in tow.

**XXXX**

Harry left Ron clumsily flirting with Parviti to meet up with his family for the final shop they had to hit before going home. As he walked in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron, a sharp wind blew at him. As it ruffled his messy mop, Harry tensed up against the chilly blow. Shivering, glanced up to see his sister laughing at a table. She was sitting with Ivy King, Ella Heart, Leana West, Tegan Woodburne and his troop of companions – none of which Harry could name.

Fires of protectiveness roared to life in Harry's chest. His little Rosie was sitting very closely to Tegan. He had no right to be so close.

_Calm down Harry. Cool it. You were flirting with girls too at her age a bit, and it wasn't a big deal. Cool it._

As Harry looked on, Rosie leaned in towards Tegan and whispered into his ear. Tegan began to laugh in appreciation of Rosie's wisecrack. She smiled back.

_She really likes this guy._ Harry thought. His only consolation was that he knew that guys her sister's age were not overly into girls. Yet. That wouldn't last very long though.

Approaching the table, Harry placed his hand on his little sister's shoulder. "Rosie? Time to go. We have to meet Mum and Dad at the Apothecary in a minute."

Rose glanced around the sunlit table at her gleeful friends regretfully. "You sure?" She asked.

"Yes." Harry answered decisively without looking at his watch.

Sighing, Rosie stood up from the table. Snatching her bag of popcorn from the table, she waved at her crew. "Bye guys! See you next week!"

"Bye-bye Rosa"

"See-ya Potter."

"Catch ya later."

"Bye, Rosa."

"Bye!"

"Bye guys!" Rosie repeated as he galloped after her quickly retreating brother.

Harry stared stonily at the ground. He didn't like that his sister was growing older. He could tell that Ron didn't like Ginny getting older either. It wasn't like they talked about it, but they shared the occasional look. Both of them had been cursed with attractive younger sisters.

Looking up from the cobblestone, he saw his Dad glancing at the windows at the shop with tense eyes. He also noted his Mum squeezing his arm encouragingly, after which they shared a troubling look.

_What _is _it about the Apothecary?_ He pondered. Both his parents seemed to detest this shop.

"Hey." Harry said as he joined his parents by the window that was infested with a light layer of grime. The inside was filled with all sorts of gruesome things that were required for the art of Potion brewing.

"Hello, Harry, Rose." Lily answered, sparing him a glance.

Rosie waved at them, her cheeks shaking from her Ever Popping Popcorn.

"Well, now that Harry and Rose are here, we should go in and finish up our trip." Lily said, directing her words at her husband.

James sighed.

"Come on. Let's go." With that, Lily hauled him into the shop followed by their children.

As the entered, the stench of rotting articles assaulted their nose. Harry lifted the front of his T-shirt to protect his nose from the attack of decaying toenails, dieing slugs and flourishing fungus. It was revolting.

_How can this guy stand it?_ Harry pondered as he glanced up at the guy working at the counter. _He's got a massive schnozz, it seems like this would pick up every sent and drive him crazy! I can barely stand being in here for five minutes a year._

As he approached the counter, Harry inspected the worker manning it. His nose was quite protuberant and ended in a sharp hook; it was the largest nose Harry had ever witnessed. His hair was as black as Harry's, but flattened by what appeared to be grease and hung it like a curtain to his shoulders. The Apothecary employee seemed to use it as such. Harry noted that when he and his family entered the shop, the man retracted his bleak grey-black eyes behind the strings of grease that draped from his head.

Quickly, Harry and Rosie gathered their potions ingredients for the year and approached the counter. Sharing a look of desperation, they swiftly dumped the contents of their arms onto the counter. As the man appraised the merchandise, Harry saw his Father sizing up the man with a rigid jaw and set eyes.

In turn, Harry inspected his Dad's eyes. They looked angry and regretful and defensive all at once. Harry noticed his Dad's shoulders were tense and his fists clenched as swinging. Something was going on here that he was not aware of.

He redirected his gaze to his mother. Here normally steady eyes were darting all over the shop, looking anywhere but at the man riffling through the bottles of dead beetles and spiders. Her fingers were flitting all over the counter and she looked immensely uncomfortable.

"That will be 27 gallons and 6 knuts," the man rasped.

Lily thrust 27 Gallons and a Sickle at the man across from the counter. "Keep the change," she said, scraping all their purchases a bag. Harry distinctly heard glass crack and saw snail gunk ooze through the bottom of the bag.

James was already half way out of the door. Rosie was followed quickly.

"Bye, Sev- Sna-…Bye." Lily stuttered and flew after her family, toting Harry behind her.

**I hope that you liked the chapter! It totals at 2, 340 words and is 6 ¼ pages. Took a while! I have a few things to explain/ point out about the chapter, and a question to ask. My question is 'Are Harry's feelings of protection towards Rosie too stereotypical / like the Weasley's situation with Ron and Ginny?' Please answer in your review!**

**Now, Harry is only an inch shy of six feet instead of being a shrimp because got propter nutrition from his parents. He wasn't neglected, abused and malnourished so he reached his full potential height wise. Harry and Ron are not friends with Hermione because the troll on Halloween never attacked her in their first year because Quirrell never let it in because he did not need a diversion because Lord Voldie did not need the Elixir of Life because he is dead. Snape working at the Apothecary because he never told Dumbledore about Voldie going after the Potters because Voldie never did so Dumbledore never made him Potions Master. I only have him working at the Apothecary because I could _not_ detach Snape entirely from Potions. (Don't worry if you like Snape, though. I am not axing him completely from here on out!) **

**I would also like to point out that experts believe that what your personality is / what you look like is dependent on the _nanosecond_ that you are created. So, unless all of these parents were…ah… _doing it_ at the same nanosecond that they had when Voldie did grow to adulthood, (the chances of which are astronomical), none of these characters in Harry's generation would even exist. So, ironically, because Voldie existed, Harry was born. How true it is that all tyrants create their worst enemies! But doing a paradox story without these characters would be utterly pointless, so we shall ignore that factoid of life! =)**

**Thanks for reading and please, please, please review!**

**~GinnyPotter365~**


	4. Off We Go

The smoke of the Hogwarts Express chugged merrily into the cloud-dotted, sunny sky above the thousands crowed upon the platform waiting to see their young family members off. Rather teary first years were garnering amused looks from seventh years who were all pretending as if they weren't going to be struck with a massive wave of homesickness once they clambered into their beds that night. The normal chorus of cats' yowls mixed among the hoots of owls and, surprisingly, a fair amount of croaks. It appeared that toads were coming back into popularity.

At precisely 11 a.m. the train let loose it's last warning blast and began to roll away from the station. Hundreds of arms were stuck out of the train's windows, waving manically. The mothers, fathers, and other family members who belonged with the hand waved back in a similar earnestness. Several mothers and younger siblings cried, driven by sadness and/or jealousy. Barks of dogs, now let loose due to the absence of the student's cats, barked and followed the train. The ruckus, which was even louder than it had been for the lat hour, startled flocks of birds from their surrounding perches.

Once the station had been left behind them, students retracted their hands from the windows. Those who had been waving attempted to warm them from the slipstream by sitting on them, wrapping them in their cloaks if they had changed already, or, in the case of one 6th year Hufflepuff boy, down their pants. Those who had not been waving laughed at those who were left seatless. Others sought out friends. Students who were overly emotional sought their enemies for a fight. The boys who were in that certain 6th year's carriage jinxed him so he couldn't remove his hand. (How long he was stuck with it there is rather irrelevant. So is the fact that his hand was still there after the feast and he received a Detention from Professor Sprout, so we won't humiliate him by sharing that information.)

Harry turned around and looked at his little sister.

"Freedom!" She joked, punching the air.

He smiled. "Come on. Let's go and find Ron and Ginny."

"Oh, sorry, Harry. Can't. I have to go and find Ivy, Leana and Ella. Told I'd find them again after I finished saying goodbye to Mum and Dad."

Inwardly, Harry scowled. He heard the unspoken name of Tegan tagged onto her sentence, following Ella. Unfortunately for him, fortunately for Rosie, there was nothing he could do about it for the moment. He had to get to the Prefect's carriage.

Knowing what he was thinking, Rose rolled here eyes. "**Bye**, Harry. Catch you later."

Harry watched her as she carried a squawking Dreja down the carriage. Once she was out of his sight, he turned around and started his search for his best friend.

_I've got to get this under control. _He thought. _I'm blowing up over nothing. If I don't watch myself I'm going to be as crazy as Dad soon. More like Mum. Yeah – that's it. I've gotta be more like her. She's way more relaxed when it comes to Rosie and relationships._

His quest was not a long one. After only several carts he heard his name called from behind. Harry turned around to see Ron's head sticking out from a glass door.

"Ya missed us!" he called, waving.

Harry doubled back and entered the door. Ron flopped back onto the cushioned seating as Harry glanced around the carriage. Ron was dejectedly pulling a PB&J sandwich out of its saran-wrap packaging, Seamus and Dean were playing Exploding Snap and Neville was absently twirling his wand in the air, causing puffs of smoke to emit from the tip. Ginny was talking her jet black owl Carrie as she shoved treats between the bars. Behind her was the window which showed rolling hills and absolutely magnificent weather. Sunlight was streaming into the carriage, golden and pure. It was a shame they had to spend the day on the train. Harry propped his trunk up by the door, there being no storage left. He fought his was towards the window and guiltily put her where she could see the landscape, silently vowing she would have a nice, long fly to make up for how long he'd had to keep her locked in her cage.

"Care to join us, Mate?" Seamus asked as Harry turned around.

"Can't." Harry apologized. "I've got to go to the Prefect's carriage."

"You're a Prefect?" Neville asked while Seamus told Harry that he was a goody-two-shoes.

"No, he's just going to gatecrash the meeting." Dean mocked.

"You'd do that." Seamus said while Neville, rolling his eyes, folded a paper airplane and lobbed it at Dean, who ducked just as the cards exploded. The result of it was not a pretty sight.

As everyone rolled around laughing and Ginny inquired, giggling, as to Dean's well being, Harry ducked out. Still laughing, he slammed into someone right outside of the carriage. "Sorry." He said as he turned to see who he had nearly mowed over.

_Of course. Of __**course**__ that's who I'd nearly plow over._ Then, glancing down: _Summer treated her well._

Hermione Granger was standing icily in front of him. She squared her jaw and he met her gaze with equal ill-will. A group of second years who were passing by fell silent as they passed. It was as if they could feel the enmity buzzing in the air; the negative energy zapping between the two Gryffindor Prefects next to them.

Harry, while full committed to his dislike, could not help but be slightly distracted. Rightly pissed from years of unnecessary rows, Hermione Granger swelled indignantly in front of him. Unfortunately for Harry, that swell combined with the growth of a summer was pressing two sizeable distractions towards his hormones.

"Ahhh…." Harry tried to remember how to apologize. Then he remembered who he was talking to and stopped.

Hermione rolled her eyes haughtily and stalked off. Harry looked back at the carriage to see Ron staring at him. They exchanged a well used look of "What a bitch." before Harry started after Hermione. She ignored him for three carriages before she whipped around, sending her braids flying.

"_What_ are you doing?" She hissed venomously in his direction.

"Going to the Prefects carriage." Harry said honestly.

"_Why_?"

"Because I'm a Prefect."

Hermione's eyes widened and her eyes dropped to his chest, looking for the telltale crest upon his chest to prove his statement. All she was met with was a plain blue shirt, as Harry had yet to don his school clothes.

Her badge, on the other hand, was rising and falling rapidly. She looked disbelieving.

"Are you serious?"

"As the Grim." Harry responded.

Hermione quickly walked in the opposite direction from him. Harry paused for a bit. He wanted to make sure that they weren't left alone in the Prefect's Carriage.

"Harry! Hey, Harry!"

Looking for the source of his name, his eyes found Ebony Black waving at Harry from among her 6th year friends and Blair Lupin, a Ravenclaw in Harry's year. He sauntered over and leaned against the table they were sitting at.

"Sorry we missed your birthday party!" Ebony lamented as Harry leaned against the table.

"Not a problem. How are the twins?"

"Oh," Ebony waved her hand, seemingly uninterested in her father's and step-mother's new twins whose delivery had prevented the Black family attendance to Harry's party. "They cry, they sleep. D.J.'s a lot calmer then Ara is."

"D.J.?" Harry asked.

"Yeah; Pop and Chara decided to combine his first and middle names and just call him D.J."

"What's his full name?" Ebony's friend Lydia Greengrass asked.

"Darren James Black." Ebony seemed eager to leave the subject. "Why don't you join us?" she suggested coyly, squishing her friends even more against the window than they already were.

"Sorry – I can't. I'm actually on my way to the Prefect's carriage."

"Fine, Mr. Perfect Prefect." Ebony conceded.

"We've got to catch up." Said Blair as Harry straightened up to leave.

"Totally." Agreed Harry. "I want to hear all about your trip to Italy."

"And I want to hear every detail of the Summer League. I heard you led your team to victory_ again_ this year."

"Of **course** he did," interjected Ebony. "Harry's summer Quidditch team hasn't lost for three seasons in a row."

Smiling, Harry departed from the table and strode the last several carriages to the Prefects' compartment. Sliding the door out of his way, he received another unpleasant surprise.

**It's been to long since I've updated, but I liked my start of this, so I figured I'd continue. Hope you enjoyed it! Review, please!**

**~A~**


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